Forest-Risk Commodities

Lord Harris of Haringey Excerpts

Monday 2nd March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I am sure the noble Baroness is aware that the Government are working alongside farmers and environmental organisations on our farming road map, “Farming 2050, Growing England’s Future”, in order to set the course of farming over 25 years. We need a long-term vision for farming and food security, and this road map will be designed to get there, because ultimately, we need to deliver our food security alongside our environmental objectives.

[Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab)]

My Lords, this is surely part of a much wider problem concerning the line of sight that businesses in this country have over their supply chains and supply lines. That applies to forests and to modern slavery, but it also applies generally in all sorts of ways—I declare my interest as chair of the National Preparedness Commission—to the sources and sustainability of the products on which we rely. This is not just about food security; it is also about ensuring that businesses know what their supply lines are and where they are from. What are we doing as a nation to make it easier for businesses to understand their supply chains?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

My noble friend asks a really important question. We announced a review of the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct as part of the UK trade strategy, and that is exploring the UK’s effectiveness in preventing human rights harms, labour rights harms and environmental harms in supply chains. That is how we are looking to support businesses and give them access to the kind of information my noble friend talks about.